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1 week ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Hazem Saghieh |Tariq Al-Homayed |Eyad Abu Shakra |Ghassan Charbel
It has been said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was displeased by US President Donald Trump’s dismissal of his National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, as well as President Trump’s stance on Iran and Syria. There is a big difference between the Iranian nuclear file and what I now call the Syrian file, except in Netanyahu’s disturbed mind. So the question becomes: What is the difference between Trump and Netanyahu and the way they think about things?
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Mamoun Fandy |Ghassan Charbel |Mustafa al-Kadhimi |Tariq Al-Homayed
The Middle East has been sitting on a powder keg since October 7, 2023. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz's visit to Iran last week was a pivotal step toward regional de-escalation that reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s adept role in putting the region on a path toward appeasing tensions. For one thing, it reflects the independence of Saudi Arabia’s regional foreign policy decisions.
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Ghassan Charbel |Mustafa al-Kadhimi |Tariq Al-Homayed |Abdulrahman al-Rashed
This man does not tire of killing. It is his job, and perhaps his calling. He doesn’t believe in talk about peace. The only rival he can trust is a dead one. “Peace” is an odd word in this thorny part of the world. What they call “peace” is at best a form of fragile truce. It is an open arena to fuel spite and sharpen knives. To deepen spite and incoming blows. Handshakes don’t fool him, and smiles don’t put him at ease. The enemy is the enemy; yesterday, today and tomorrow. Kill him or be killed.
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Mustafa al-Kadhimi |Tariq Al-Homayed |Abdulrahman al-Rashed |Mustafa Fahs
Before delving into whether or not to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for next November, the kinds of electoral and political alliances that should be formed, or even the results and turnout, we must take a moment to think deeply about the electoral system. That entails deep contemplation and diligent assessment, especially since November's elections will be the sixth since the fall of the dictatorship.
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Tariq Al-Homayed |Abdulrahman al-Rashed |Mustafa Fahs |Hazem Saghieh
Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, leaks about Iran and its nuclear file have not stopped – whether it is what he is saying openly or what is being leaked by his administration or the Israelis or even the Iranian lobby in Washington. The leaks only increased with the second round of negotiations between the Iranians and Americans in Rome on Saturday. Tehran itself, as well as its allies and opponents in the region, have also been behind some leaks.
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Hazem Saghieh |Amir Taheri |Hanna Saleh |Tariq Al-Homayed
A few days ago, on the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Lebanese war, the culture of shirking responsibility for this conflict beamed once again. Several writers and observers have pointed to some manifestations of this culture whose prevalence has not been hindered by its corruption. The war is "the events," or the "inauspicious" or "painful" events - terminology that is meant to downplay its belligerent identity and emphasize its emotional impact while also obscuring its real makers.
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3 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Amir Taheri |Hanna Saleh |Tariq Al-Homayed |Hazem Saghieh
It was barely a month ago when TV watchers across the globe saw a show in which new US president Donald Trump treated visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as one of those voodoo dolls made for pushing needles into thus dodging a curse. After the show TV talking heads speculated that having come to the White House dressed as a rockstar rather than a statesman, Zelensky had angered Trump and thus deserved what he got.
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4 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Hanna Saleh |Tariq Al-Homayed |Hazem Saghieh |Eyad Abu Shakra
The moment Naim Qassem publicly and explicitly approved the ceasefire agreement, before Amos Hochstein even landed in Tel Aviv, he was, in effect, admitting to the collapse of Hezbollah’s project. The party’s insistence on securing a binding ceasefire agreement, even while Israeli forces remained on southern Lebanese soil, amounts to nothing less than a confession: the gamble on “resistance” has failed, and the role of the weapons has expired.
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4 weeks ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Tariq Al-Homayed |Hazem Saghieh |Eyad Abu Shakra |Abdulrahman al-Rashed
Since October 7, 2023, and in the aftermath of war in Gaza and Lebanon, Iranian-Israeli skirmishes, and the much-touted but ultimately hollow talk of "unified fronts", a new dynamic has emerged. One I would call "converging tracks". Anyone observing the region today will detect a new common thread stretching from Iran to Lebanon, passing through Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq: disarmament. Or, more precisely, the convergence of disarmament trajectories.
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1 month ago | 
english.aawsat.com | Amir Taheri |Hazem Saghieh |Hanna Saleh |Tariq Al-Homayed
Despite the great deal of sound and fury that it has generated, it is perhaps too early to assess the lasting impact of President Donald Trump’s latest fireworks on tariffs. Some things, however, are certain. Contrary to assertions by talking heads on the small screen, we are not heading for a global trade war. True, the US is the world’s biggest economy and ranks second as a trading power. But its share of world trade hovers around 12 percent or under 10 percent of its GDP.
